U.S. patent number 7,986,782 [Application Number 11/286,024] was granted by the patent office on 2011-07-26 for method and system for managing rights in digital information over a network.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Nokia Corporation. Invention is credited to Stephan Meyers.
United States Patent |
7,986,782 |
Meyers |
July 26, 2011 |
Method and system for managing rights in digital information over a
network
Abstract
A method and system for distributing digital information is
disclosed. Preferably, a user acquires a tangible object which
contain a code authorizing access to the digital information. The
user reads the tangible object through a reader, which sends the
code to a server on which the digital information is stored. The
server then authorizes access to the digital information to one or
more access devices listed in registries belonging to the user. The
user may use the digital information on the terms he agrees to,
and, while in use by the user, access to the digital information to
other users or other playback devices is disabled. Once the user no
longer is using the digital information, the access device erases
the digital information, and signals the server that the digital
information is no longer in use, thereby re-enabling access to the
digital information by the other playback devices listed in the
registry.
Inventors: |
Meyers; Stephan (Los Angeles,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Nokia Corporation (Espoo,
FI)
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Family
ID: |
24657466 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/286,024 |
Filed: |
November 23, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20060078112 A1 |
Apr 13, 2006 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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09662378 |
Sep 12, 2000 |
6993131 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
380/201; 713/189;
705/59; 380/210; 380/202; 705/51; 380/212; 705/57; 713/165 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
7/1675 (20130101); H04N 21/418 (20130101); H04N
21/8355 (20130101); H04L 63/10 (20130101); H04L
63/0428 (20130101); G06F 21/10 (20130101); H04N
21/2541 (20130101); H04L 2463/101 (20130101); G06F
2221/0797 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04N
7/167 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;380/201,202,210,212
;713/165,189 ;705/51,57,59 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Cowart et al., "The Novel Solution", PC Magazine, v4, n3, p131,
Feb. 5, 1985, Dialog File 47, access # 02672122. cited by
examiner.
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Primary Examiner: Lipman; Jacob
Assistant Examiner: Tran; Tongoc
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ditthavong Mori & Steiner,
P.C.
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/662,378 filed Sep. 12, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,131.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method comprising: determining to register a first access
device as being authorized to receive a digital object including
digital information, the first access device being associated with
a common user account; receiving a first request to grant access to
the digital object to the first access device after registering the
digital object; determining to transmit, in response to the first
request, the digital object to the first access device; determining
to register the digital object as being in use by the first access
device; receiving a second request to grant access to the digital
object to a second access device, wherein the second access device
is registered as being authorized to receive the digital object,
the second access device being associated with the common user
account; and determining to deny, in response to the second
request, transmission of the digital object to the second access
device while the digital object is in use by the first access
device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to
register a plurality of access devices as being authorized to
receive the digital object, the plurality of access devices having
common rights to access the digital object; wherein registering
said digital object as being in use by said first access device
grants access to said digital object to the plurality of access
devices having common access rights.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said plurality of access devices
includes access devices of different types, and said digital object
is transmitted to each of said types of access device in a form
specific to each of said types of access device.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein said plurality of access devices
includes access devices of different types, and said digital object
is transmitted to each of said types of access device with a
content specific to each of said types of access device.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to
identify said digital object with a unique identifying code, said
unique identifying code being contained in a physical object.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said physical object includes
either a magnetic memory, a bar code, an optical memory or an RF
tag.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to transmit the
digital object to said access device includes transmitting the
digital object over a computer network.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said computer network includes
the internet.
9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first access device is
configured to read said physical object and access said unique
identifying code, and receiving the first request includes reading
said physical object.
10. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining to
establish an encryption protocol for transmitting the digital
information in the digital object to one or more registries of the
plurality of access devices; determining to encrypt the digital
information in accordance with the encryption protocol; determining
to transmit the digital information to at least one of the
plurality of access devices having common access rights to the
digital object in encrypted form.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to
disable an access code shared by the first and second access
devices upon transmitting the digital object to the first access
device such that a request to access the digital object received
from the second access device while the access code is disabled is
denied, wherein the access code authorizes access to the digital
object and the request includes the access code.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining that
the digital object has been removed from the first access device;
and determining to enable, in response to determining that the
digital object has been removed from the first access device, the
access code such that a request to access the digital object
received from the second access device while the access code is
enabled is granted, wherein the request includes the access
code.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request
to access the digital object from a third access device different
from the first and second access devices, wherein the first and
second access devices share a first access code authorizing access
to the digital object and the third access device is associated
with a unique identifying code, different from the first access
code, authorizing access to the digital object; and determining to
transmit, in response to the request, the digital object to the
third access device while the digital object irrespective of
whether the digital object is in-use by the first access
device.
14. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and at least one memory
including computer program instructions, the at least one memory
and the computer program instructions configured to, with the
processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
determine to register a first access device as being authorized to
receive a digital object, the first access device being associated
with a common user account; receive a first request to grant access
to the digital object to the first access device after registering
the digital object; determine to transmit, in response to the first
request, the digital object to the first access device; determine
to register the digital object as being in use by the first access
device; receive a second request to grant access to the digital
object to a second access device, wherein the second access device
is registered as being authorized to receive the digital object,
the second access device being associated with the common user
account; and determine to deny, in response to the second request,
transmission of the digital object to the second access device
while the digital object is in use by the first access device.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is further
caused to: determine to disable an access code shared by the first
and second access devices upon transmitting the digital object to
the first access device such that a request to access the digital
object received from the second access device while the access code
is disabled is denied, the access code authorizes access to the
digital object and wherein the request includes the access
code.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is further
caused to: determine that the digital object has been removed from
the first access device; and determine to enable, in response to
determining that the digital object has been removed from the first
access device, the access code such that a request to access the
digital object received from the second access device while the
access code is enabled is granted, wherein the request includes the
access code.
17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is further
caused to: determine to register a plurality of access devices as
being authorized to receive the digital object, the plurality of
access devices having common rights to access the digital object;
wherein registering said digital object as being in use by said
first access device grants access to said digital object to the
plurality of access devices having common access rights.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further
caused to: determine to establish an encryption protocol for
transmitting the digital information in the digital object to the
registry of access devices; determine to encrypt the digital
information in accordance with the encryption protocol; determine
to transmit the digital information to the at least one of the
access devices having common access rights to the digital object in
encrypted form.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one
or more instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause an
apparatus to at least perform the following steps: determine to
register a first access device as being authorized to receive a
digital object including digital information, the first access
device being associated with a common user account; receive a first
request to grant access to the digital object to the first access
device after registering the digital object; determine to transmit,
in response to the first request, the digital object to the first
access device; determine to register the digital object as being in
use by the first access device; receive a second request to grant
access to the digital object to a second access device, wherein the
second access device is registered as being authorized to receive
the digital object, the second access device being associated with
the common user account; and determine to deny, in response to the
second request, transmission of the digital object to the second
access device while the digital object is in use by the first
access device.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
19, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: receive a request
to access the digital object from a third access device different
from the first and second access devices, wherein the first and
second access devices share a first access code authorizing access
to the digital object and the third access device is associated
with a second access code, different from the first access code,
authorizing access to the digital object; and determine to
transmit, in response to the request, the digital object to the
third access device while the digital object irrespective of
whether the digital object is in-use by the first access
device.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
19, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: determine to
disable an access code shared by the first and second access
devices upon transmitting the digital object to the first access
device such that a request to access the digital object received
from the second access device while the access code is disabled is
denied, the access code authorizes access to the digital object and
wherein the request includes the access code.
22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
21, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: determine that the
digital object has been removed from the first access device; and
determine to enable, in response to determining that the digital
object has been removed from the first access device, the access
code such that a request to access the digital object received from
the second access device while the access code is enabled is
granted, wherein the request includes the access code.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the field of managing rights in
digital information over a network, and more particularly, to a
method and apparatus for managing rights in digital information
over a network through the use of a physical object.
2. Description of the Related Art
The digital revolution has brought with it a proliferation of
devices suitable for accessing digital information of various
types, for example, DVDs, music videos, electronic books, digital
files, and MP3 files. The possession of multi-media playback
devices, brings with it a need for multi-media content in many
different forms. Traditionally, such content is distributed in
device-specific physical objects, for example, a digital versatile
disk for playing in a DVD player, a compact disk for playing in a
CD player, a video cassette for playing in a VCR, etc. This
traditional distribution paradigm fails to take full advantage of
the availability of modern distribution avenues such as the
internet, and follows instead the more traditional distribution
avenues which generally require a physical inventory of tangible
objects containing digital information for distribution of the
content. Thus, even now, in an era of burgeoning digital
entertainment, retail music stores (for example) must maintain a
large inventory of various kinds of physical objects in which the
information is published (CDs, DVDs, video cassettes, audio
cassettes, etc.). This inventory requires a great deal of cost and
effort to manufacture, package, distribute, store and display. It
is also duplicative, where stock of different versions of the same
information must be maintained (e.g. the same movie in VHS and DVD
format).
It would be advantageous if the need to maintain a physical
inventory of different media was minimized, so that a user could
buy a single physical object which would carry within with it
access to desired information content in whatever form may be
desired.
There is therefore a need to provide a more efficient way of
delivering information content to the marketplace, by providing
means for publishing that information utilizing modern distribution
avenues, such as the internet, without the need to have that
information physically embodied in a tangible medium while
maintaining the ability to buy and sell physical objects. With this
need, there is also a need to ensure that the distribution and
access to the information is arranged securely, to minimize the
unauthorized distribution and use of such information, i.e.
piracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention offers a new paradigm for distributing
digital information, such as music, videos, books or other
information products in a more secure and less expensive fashion,
by storing the digital information in a central server and
distributing it over the internet upon the payment of suitable
license fees, and arranging access to the information through the
use of physical objects which contain authorization to access the
digital information.
Briefly stated, the invention is directed to a new method and
apparatus for distributing digital information. According to the
present invention, a user of the information would have access to
one or more devices for accessing digital information, and register
all such devices in a registry. For example, with respect to rights
to play a new song with a video, the user may have a mobile
personal music player, as well as a home theater system and a car
stereo. Rather than purchasing different tangible media for each
access device, the user may instead acquire an access card which
contains an access code for downloading the song over the internet.
The card could give the user rights to play a song on any or all of
the possible playback devices listed in his registry, but on only
one at a time (unless other licensing arrangements are made). Once
the user is finished listening to the song it may be purged from
the playback device, and the publisher of the digital information
would be so informed, thereby enabling the further downloading of
that information to one of the user's registered access devices,
which may be the same access device at a later time. Once the
information has been purged from its initial access device, then
the other registered access devices sharing rights from the user
may be enabled to receive the same information.
In this fashion, it will not be necessary to store expensive
physical objects which actually contain digital information, but
rather only smaller, less expensive, physical objects which contain
authorization to access the information from a secure and remote
location. This would minimize manufacturing, transportation,
distribution and security costs.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention
are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and
forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the
invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained
by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive
matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred
embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a system for distributing digital information
employing the present invention to manage rights to information
content over a network, such as the internet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the present invention, information which is to be made
available to purchase or license, may be published not though the
distribution of physical objects containing the actual information
(such as CDs or videos), but rather through inexpensive physical
objects which contain only the authorization needed to access the
actual information, either over the internet or through any other
information or communications network, such as an intranet, a LAN,
mobile terminal network, Bluetooth, an extranet or other desired
network.
A system for distributing, and managing rights in, the information
is shown in FIG. 1, generally at 10.
As with any information content, the first step is its creation.
The information, for purposes of the invention, could be any kind
of content, music, music videos, books, periodicals, computer or
video games, technical journals, videos, movies, information
databases, or any other kind of information capable of being stored
and accessed in digital form.
The publisher of the content stores the information as a digital
object by downloading it into information storage memory 20, then
informs information storage manager 30 of the availability of the
information, and its location in information storage memory 20.
As part of this procedure, the publisher may inform information
storage manager 30 of the nature of rights available for purchase
or license and also the identity or nature of authorized
distribution channels 40.
For example, a film producer may wish to have different packages of
rights available for distributing his film. At the time of release
of the film, the producer may wish to make available a soundtrack
of the music and/or songs used in the film. These songs may have a
video associated with the songs, either as used in the film, or
separately. The film producer may also have a movie "trailer" or
promotional advertisement he wishes to make available to the widest
audience, without charging for the privilege. If the film is based
upon a pre-existing work, such as a novel, the film producer may
have arrangements to distribute the book electronically in
conjunction with the release of the film.
Later, after the theatrical run of the film, the producer may make
copies of the movie available for sale or rental, perhaps in a
primary language and with dubbed or sub-titled versions in a
secondary language. To maximize his cash flow, the producer could
make available, at the time of the initial release of the film,
future rights to get a copy of the film for home use.
Once the various bundles of rights were defined by the publisher of
the information, he must make those various bundles available to
the public. This involves contacting potential vendors 40 to
distribute the information, and arranging to make the information
available to the potential customers as may be desired.
By way of example, the publisher may authorize a retail store 50,
an internet e-business 60, telemarketers 70, mail order firms 80,
direct mail solicitors 90 or others to sell the various bundles of
rights the publisher chooses to make available to the public. The
various types of rights available, and the channels through which
those rights may be acquired are registered in a sales manager
registry 100.
At this point, the rights are available, in some fashion, to be
distributed to the public.
Once available, a digital object containing the digital
information, would be accessible only through the use of a secure
protocol, such a public/private encryption system, or any other
well known or otherwise convenient secure method. The publisher
would then publish, through channels 40, access codes for access in
the desired digital information.
A user 110, in order to realize the benefits of system 10, should
have at least one access device 120 for accessing the digital
information, for example, a mobile terminal such as a cellular
phone or a portable media player (PMP) 130, a personal computer
140, a home theatre system 150 or a car stereo 160. The precise
nature of the access device 120 may vary, but the user should
create a registry 170 of available devices for accessing digital
information. User 110 may maintain registry 40 on a SIM which is
programmed in PMP 130 having the capacity to read the publisher's
desired physical object containing the access code, by making
registry 170 network-accessible, or otherwise.
User 110 having determined what digital information he wished to
purchase and having registry 170 of his available access devices,
would then seek out a desired vendor 40 to provide access to the
information.
The preferred method for distributing access would be to embody
access codes to the digital information in a physical object 180
such as an access card, which, in the preferred embodiment, is a
credit-card-size plastic card having a magnetic stripe. Access card
180 may have on it identifying material such as a publicity photo
of a recording artist if the digital information is a music video,
the title of a book if the digital information being distributed in
a text publication, or even be simply blank as a pure matter of
design choice. There are other possible embodiments of the physical
object, as well. For example the physical object could include an
optical memory, a bar code, or an RF tag. The precise method of
providing the access code is immaterial. The publisher could even
make the information available for download over the internet
thorough a secure communications channel or by distributing access
codes over the telephone so that the user could be responsible for
manually inputting the access codes to the desired receivers which
would then access the information from information storage 20. The
publisher may choose any desired method for distributing the access
codes, through any distribution channel as he may deem
appropriate.
A vendor would then sell, lease or lend access card 180 to user 110
and would inform sales manager registry 100 of the transaction. The
transaction may be, for example, an outright sale of access card
180, similar to purchasing a CD or music video from a store. In
this case, the access granted by the access code within access card
180 would be unlimited in duration, but may be limited to only one
player at a time. Alternatively, the publisher may have different
licensing options. For example, instead of selling a license to use
the digital information on only one access device at a time, the
publisher may offer the option of simultaneously using the digital
information on more than one of a registered group of access
devices. A publisher may sell multiple digital books which may be
used by more than one person at a time, such as a school class or
business grouping. The information could be downloaded or
accessible over the internet or through another communications
network to any number of users at a time. Games publishers could
make available multi-player games by offering a single license for
an appropriate number of players.
It would also be possible for the publisher to offer licenses to
the digital information in varying form and in varying content.
Where the digital information consisted of a music video, for
example, the publisher could make the entire music video available
for display upon a pocket video player or a mobile telephone. In a
home system, enhanced audio capabilities for stereo or quadraphonic
play, or both, could be offered, where if the access device is only
capable of audio play, only audio tracks would be available (for
example in the case of a car stereo). Additional content could also
be made available to an access device such as a personal computer
70, whereby the user may access forms for ordering further
information or purchasing tickets to a concert of the artist whose
work is in the music video. Alternatively, the rights acquired may
be for a limited number of uses or for a limited time, such as a
video rental.
At a vendor 40, user 110 may also be offered different distribution
options. For example, if user 110 has a portable media player 130
with him, he could download a music video directly into portable
media player 130 at store 50. User 110 would then have the
immediate gratification of watching the video as often as desired
right then and there. Alternatively, the transaction may provide
for off-hours distribution, perhaps at a reduced price, so that the
digital information could be downloaded overnight during less busy
(and less expensive) transmission periods. It would also be
possible for a user 110 who did not have an access device 120 with
him, to direct that vendor 40 download the digital information to a
remote location. In this fashion, the user 110 may purchase a music
video as a gift for a friend and have the music video downloaded
immediately (or later) to the friend's remote location for viewing.
In the preferred embodiment however, the purchaser would acquire
access card 180 containing the rights acquired from vendor 40 and
take it with him when he left. He could then read access card 180
in a reader 190 to input the appropriate access codes and the
location of the digital information into any of his access devices
120, through a rights manager 200 to access the digital information
from information storage 20, and input through user registry 170 to
access devices 120.
Reader 190 may be in any convenient form, as a matter of design
choice. For example, it could be embodied directly in one or more
of access devices 120. Alternatively, user 110 could have a single
reader 190 possibly a part of rights manager 200 which would act as
a central location from which access codes could be
distributed.
In some circumstances, the rights could be accessed by means of
access codes input directly into rights manager 200, without the
use of a physical access card 180 and reader 190, when, for
example, user 110 responds to a telemarketer 70 and acquires rights
through a telephone transaction. Under such circumstances, user 110
may directly input access codes to rights manager 200, e.g. via
keyboard, and thereby provide access rights to access devices
120.
Once the user has acquired the access codes and accessed the
desired digital information, that digital information would be made
unavailable to any other user. Identical information, however, with
different access codes stored in either the same or a different
location would still be available to other users who acquired
legitimate access codes for accessing the digital information. By
way of example, a publisher of a new musical recording of a popular
song may maintain a virtual inventory of ten thousand copies of a
currently hot recording on information storage memory 20, so that
ten thousand users may access or download the information
simultaneously. However, many millions of legitimate of access
codes to access those ten thousands location may be distributed by
use of access cards 180 containing the access codes. While any
authorized user 110 could access the information so long as the
maximum number of users was not exceeded, the publisher could in
this fashion distribute millions of virtual copies of a recording
without having the expense of manufacturing a single tangible CD.
The sole cost would be the far smaller cost of manufacturing the
credit card sized access cards 180, which may even be avoided
entirely if the access codes are distributed solely over the
internet, thereby eliminating completely the need for a physical
inventory of any item whatsoever.
Each user, however, would have his own individual and unique
identifying code for accessing the digital information, so that no
more than one simultaneous usage of the authorized copy of the
digital information could be effected at any given time, unless
such rights had been acquired. Once a single user had accessed his
legitimate virtual copy of the digital information, that access
code would be disabled until such time as the digital information
is purged from access device 120, and rights manager 200 so informs
information storage manager 30 so that the access codes can be
released. According to the invention, the transfer of access card
180 may transfer rights of access from one user 110 to another.
Alternatively, an e-mail directing that access rights be given to a
different set of receivers 120 having common rights may be sent by
user 110, through rights manager 200 to information storage manager
30. This may take place where the original user has grown tired of
the initial music, or simply wishes to share it temporarily with a
friend. If the transfer of access rights is temporary, the
procedure would have to be repeated in reverse to reinstate access
rights in the initial user. The invention contemplates that the
reversion of rights by virtue of a temporary transfer may also be
determined at the time of the initial transfer.
User 110 may maintain an inventory of digital information on
personal computer 140, or elsewhere, to choose information to
access by using a personal computer 140 to contact rights manager
200, and thereby secure access rights thereto for use by any access
device 120.
In this fashion, the publisher is able to maximize the value of the
rights he wishes to make available to the public, and the rights
are made secure since the accessibility of the information is
governed by managers which can control access on the terms provided
by the publisher, preferably as governed by the possession of
access card 180.
The system and method in accordance with this invention would
provide for the simple and efficient distribution of digital
information in any different media, and under any distribution
scheme that the publisher finds useful.
Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a
preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various
omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of
the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by
those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all
combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform
substantially the same function in substantially the same way to
achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention.
Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements
and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any
disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated
in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment
as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention,
therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the
claims appended hereto.
* * * * *